All four members of Greenwich's General Assembly delegation were mostly noncommittal in their answers to a Hearst Connecticut Newspapers survey on measures to combat gun violence in the wake of the Newtown massacre, saying that they didn't want to be pigeonholed on abstract questions before tangible solutions are offered by the Legislature.

The Hearst-owned Greenwich Time posed eight questions to the all-Republican delegation on whether its members support the expansion of a statewide assault weapons ban to include semi-automatic rifles like the Bushmaster XM-15 E2S, which was used to kill 26 people at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14.

The newspaper also wanted to know if the lawmakers support universal background checks on gun sales; a 10-round ammunition cap for gun magazines; the creation of a gun offender registry for those convicted of crimes using a firearm; a restriction on the sale of body armor to civilians; an ammunition tax; mandatory gun permits for rifle owners; and a monthly sales limit of one firearm per individual.

All but one of the four legislators answered "undecided" in response to all eight questions.

"So you end up boxing yourself into a corner," said state Rep. Alfred Camillo, R-151. "We're going to have to vote. No one's ducking it."

Camillo expressed his support for universal background checks and closing what is known as the "gun show loophole," which exempts private sellers from having to do due diligence on a buyer before parting with a firearm.

"That's common sense," he said.

In his third term representing parts of Riverside, North Mianus, Havemeyer Park, Cos Cob and the downtown, Camillo opposes a 50 percent sales tax on ammunition.

"A longtime law enforcement (veteran) called me up -- he reminded me that it's not that far-fetched that you could have another societal breakdown like we had in New Orleans in 2005 and in Los Angeles in 1992 when the police vacated the city," Camillo said. "The only means (residents) had left to defend themselves and their property were their firearms."

Camillo found the idea of a gun offender registry intriguing, but said he would have to see the fine print before he could embrace it.

"Great profiles in courage," Farricker said facetiously. "I cannot believe that they punted. That's absurd. When it comes time to actually stand up and actually represent their community, they're undecided on the most important issue in our state and our time."

State Sen. L. Scott Frantz, R-36, who represents all of Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan, is a member of a special legislative task force that was established after the Newtown tragedy.

"Every single person on that task force, including me, is solely focused on preventing a Sandy Hook incident from ever happening again," Frantz said. "It's a much more complex issue than meets the eye. Other issues that need to be considered are mental health, the violent culture in which we live, parenting and school security."

"I do not believe the NRA has handled this situation very well at all," Frantz said.

State Rep. Livvy Floren, R-149, said she wants to wait for the bipartisan legislative task force to present its recommendations to the General Assembly before committing to any proposal.

"What I want is something that we can all embrace in a bipartisan way, is enforceable and is effective," Floren said. "I don't want to second-guess them. That's been my stand from day one."

In her seventh term representing midcountry, backcountry, western Greenwich, the Hubbard Heights section of Stamford and North Stamford, Floren mentioned that she got an "F" grade from the NRA for her Second Amendment positions.

The NRA requires a membership identification number to look up its grades for state lawmakers. A request for the grades for the rest of Greenwich's General Assembly delegation was left Wednesday at the NRA's Political Victory Fund in Fairfax, Va.

Farricker called on Floren to back her "F" grade up.

"You know what, Livvy Floren brags about her "F" rating from the NRA, but she's too afraid to buck her own party's caucus," Farricker said.

Floren responded that the House Republicans have not taken a position on the matter because there are no formal proposals before them.

State Rep. Stephen Walko, R-150, said that as the father of two young children he is committed to finding common sense reforms to prevent another massacre like the one in Newtown.

At the same time, the House freshman from Byram said he wants to see all the data and the wording of proposed gun-control legislation before embracing it.

"I will have the honor to be able to cast a vote either up or down for proposed legislation after the work of the task force," Walko said. "To me, that's the appropriate time to address these important issues. I will be looking for a comprehensive approach dealing not just with gun violence, but also mental health and school safety."

Local Democrats were quick to point out that not one Republican in the General Assembly, including the four from Greenwich, signed a letter to President Barack Obama and Congress urging them to pass gun control legislation.

All four Republicans said that they were not aware of the letter and questioned whether it was sent to their caucus.

They also noted that there are 121 Democrats between the state House and state Senate, meaning not everyone on the other side of the aisle signed the letter.

"I didn't know the safety of the children of Connecticut was a partisan issue," Walko said.